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Akabu

Akabu is the deep house pseudonym of British DJ/producer/remixer Dave Lee who has released under a plethora of other monikers including Joey Negro, Jakatta, Doug Willis, Raven Maize, The Sunburst Band, Sessomatto, and Z Factor. Dave was one of the first artists to incorporate disco samples in house music when he began his production career in 1990. Fast forward 20 years and little has changed - Dave is still experimenting with new techniques, taking inspiration from new artists and using this knowledge of the past in new original creations.

The debut album from Akabu ‘The Phuture Ain’t What It Used To Be’ is a retrospective yet futuristic delivery from Dave Lee, inspired by over 20 years in dance music’s history and touching on live instrumentation, contemporary sounds and dexterous electronic craftsmanship.

Featuring collaborations with Norway’s’ Boomclap Bachelors (on the album highlight ‘You Want It All’), Andre Lodemann, Foremost Poets, Tony Momrelle, Tanya Michelle and Joel Edwards. ‘The Phuture Ain’t What It Used To Be’ is an ode to an inert love of electronica, “I wanted to call on my love of the first wave of deep warm acidic house like Marshall Jefferson and Larry Heard, combined with some of the contemporary stuff I like such as Carl Craig, Jimpster, Martin Buttrich,” explains Dave.

"Dave has been an inspiration since his release on Transmat. His taste is prime and his music always blows me away whether its as Joey Negro, the Sunburst Band or Akabu. And he does hell-of-a edits too!" Carl Craig, August 2010

Dave’s last studio album with the Sunburst Band was a blend of live disco, soul and funk but Akabu’s longplayer explores a darker and more complex journey. Revisiting the sound of some of his first productions back in the late 80s, Masters of The Universe ‘Space Talk’ and M.D.Emm’s ‘Get Acidic’ (the latter licensed by Derrick May for his Transmat label), and the four earlier Akabu singles released on NRK and Z Records, including ‘Ride The Storm’ and ‘Phuture Bound’ whose Ame remix took the track to a new level, Akabu’s‘The Phuture Ain’t What It Used To Be’ explores the electrifying analogue sounds of Dave Lee.“After a year producing disco I wanted to do something more electronic and utilize some of the great modern studio technology that’s out there. I’ve still tried to attempt to inject some of the excitement of live players and musicality into the electronic music I produce.”